by Josh Sewell
Black Adam
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language. Opens in theaters on October 21.)
The premise: Dwayne Johnson joins the live action DC Universe (he already lent his voice to the animated DC League of Super-Pets earlier this year) as Black Adam, a sort of antihero version of Shazam. He received his powers from the gods in ancient Kahndaq nearly 5,000 years ago and was almost immediately imprisoned for abusing them. When he’s released in the modern day, he is challenged by the Justice Society – composed of Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan) – to use his powers for good instead of evil.
The verdict: Johnson was apparently pleased with director Jaume Collet-Serra’s work on Jungle Cruise, because the actor personally chose him for this project, which has been in development for more than a decade. The result is pretty similar to their previous collaboration: an odd mix of serious moments that don’t work and oddball comedic beats that do.
Warner/DC, still in rebuilding mode, wants to emulate the tone that works so well for Marvel, but they still can’t fully reverse course from the grim trappings Zack Snyder loved so much – including a lame, forgettable villain. When the movie stops and focuses on character relationships instead of worrying about mythology and CGI-stuffed action sequences, it works surprisingly well.
Johnson is solid in antihero mode, although he’s better at the comedic beats than his character’s tragic backstory. But it’s Hodge, Centineo and Brosnan who are having the most fun. It seems like they know what kind of movie they’re in and craft their performances accordingly, instead of attempting to elevate the lackluster material.
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language. Opens in theaters on October 21.)
The premise: Dwayne Johnson joins the live action DC Universe (he already lent his voice to the animated DC League of Super-Pets earlier this year) as Black Adam, a sort of antihero version of Shazam. He received his powers from the gods in ancient Kahndaq nearly 5,000 years ago and was almost immediately imprisoned for abusing them. When he’s released in the modern day, he is challenged by the Justice Society – composed of Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan) – to use his powers for good instead of evil.
The verdict: Johnson was apparently pleased with director Jaume Collet-Serra’s work on Jungle Cruise, because the actor personally chose him for this project, which has been in development for more than a decade. The result is pretty similar to their previous collaboration: an odd mix of serious moments that don’t work and oddball comedic beats that do.
Warner/DC, still in rebuilding mode, wants to emulate the tone that works so well for Marvel, but they still can’t fully reverse course from the grim trappings Zack Snyder loved so much – including a lame, forgettable villain. When the movie stops and focuses on character relationships instead of worrying about mythology and CGI-stuffed action sequences, it works surprisingly well.
Johnson is solid in antihero mode, although he’s better at the comedic beats than his character’s tragic backstory. But it’s Hodge, Centineo and Brosnan who are having the most fun. It seems like they know what kind of movie they’re in and craft their performances accordingly, instead of attempting to elevate the lackluster material.
That being said, if DC can ever course correct, I can see a Black Adam sequel being even better; especially since all the setup is out of the way. If the mid-credits scene is any indication, they’re taking the story in a direction that will make fans lose their minds.
Grade: B-
Decision to Leave
(Not rated, but contains sexuality, thematic elements, violence and disturbing images. Opens in limited release on October 21.)
The premise: Acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s latest is a romantic thriller that pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant Vertigo. When detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) is tasked with investigating the fatal mountain-climbing fall of a prominent businessman, he begins to suspect the dead man’s enigmatic, much younger wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei) knows more than she claims. As he digs deeper, Hae-joon finds himself attracted to her despite his better judgment.
The verdict: Decision to Leave is a moody, atmospheric thriller that takes its time and revels in intricate details. As such, there’s a good chance that moviegoers will have mixed reactions depending on their taste. Those with short attention spans will probably bail before the 138-minute drama reaches its haunting conclusion.
Although the procedural elements inject occasional bits of action and puzzle-solving that drive the plot forward, Park is more interested in the impact this kind of investigation has on the people who choose to embark on such a grim career path. Large sections of the film are intentionally ponderous and contemplative, as the director wants viewers to sit with every choice these characters make – whether it’s impetuous or premediated.
Even though the film is quite slow, Park keeps things interesting with brilliant directorial flourishes, particularly the fascinating way Hae-joon projects himself into hypothetical murder scenarios. Of course, a film like Decision to Leave doesn’t work without compelling actors at the heart of the story, which is where Park Hae-il and Tang come in. Both of them are phenomenal here, even if I didn’t always buy the potential of a relationship between them. Still, that is also by design – Park wants to keep viewers wondering if the attraction is real or the devious plan of a femme fatale.
Despite ultimately respecting the movie more than I enjoyed it, I definitely think it’s worth checking out. Park is one of our greatest living filmmakers, so anything he does is automatically a must-see.
Grade: B+
Halloween Ends
(Rated R for bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout and some sexual references. Now playing in theaters and available on Peacock.)
The premise: In this “final” installment of the long-running slasher franchise (until the inevitable reboot), the long-suffering Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) four years after the horrific events of Halloween Kills. Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) has disappeared, allowing the women a chance to process their trauma and grief. But when a young man named Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) is accused of killing a kid he was babysitting, bodies begin piling up again – leading Laurie to a final confrontation with the evil force that has plagued her for decades.
The verdict: Any time a by-the-numbers horror series tries something new, I’m curious. So many of these flicks adhere to the same formula it’s refreshing when filmmakers break the mold. Sadly, that doesn’t always mean the movie will be good – which is precisely what happens with Halloween Ends. Where the previous installment Halloween Kills set up one heck of a final confrontation with its shocking cliffhanger, David Gordon Green’s last flick instead skips forward several years and resets the entire storyline.
Rather than a traumatized, survivalist Laurie, the character is attempting to heal by writing her memoirs. She’s also reaching out to other troubled Haddonfield residents in an attempt to ensure they don’t make the same mistakes she did. On the surface, that’s an intriguing choice – especially because Curtis is phenomenal as always. But it also means she basically ignores her daughter’s murder at the hands of a seemingly unkillable homicidal maniac.
Furthermore, a story designed to highlight the final confrontation between two iconic characters ends up sidelining both of them to focus on someone we’ve never met. If this were an original horror movie, Corey would be a fascinating protagonist. And the film’s issues are no fault of Campbell, who delivers a solid performance.
However, the result feels like a massive bait-and-switch meant to delay an epic showdown that viewers have been expecting for three movies. Yes, we ultimately get it, and the last few minutes are terrific because of it. But if arriving there ends up making previously interesting characters like Allyson look dumb (poor Matichak), was the journey worth it? Opinions vary based on the reactions I’ve seen, but for me it was a wasted trip.
Grade: D+
Grade: B-
(Not rated, but contains sexuality, thematic elements, violence and disturbing images. Opens in limited release on October 21.)
The premise: Acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s latest is a romantic thriller that pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant Vertigo. When detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) is tasked with investigating the fatal mountain-climbing fall of a prominent businessman, he begins to suspect the dead man’s enigmatic, much younger wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei) knows more than she claims. As he digs deeper, Hae-joon finds himself attracted to her despite his better judgment.
The verdict: Decision to Leave is a moody, atmospheric thriller that takes its time and revels in intricate details. As such, there’s a good chance that moviegoers will have mixed reactions depending on their taste. Those with short attention spans will probably bail before the 138-minute drama reaches its haunting conclusion.
Although the procedural elements inject occasional bits of action and puzzle-solving that drive the plot forward, Park is more interested in the impact this kind of investigation has on the people who choose to embark on such a grim career path. Large sections of the film are intentionally ponderous and contemplative, as the director wants viewers to sit with every choice these characters make – whether it’s impetuous or premediated.
Even though the film is quite slow, Park keeps things interesting with brilliant directorial flourishes, particularly the fascinating way Hae-joon projects himself into hypothetical murder scenarios. Of course, a film like Decision to Leave doesn’t work without compelling actors at the heart of the story, which is where Park Hae-il and Tang come in. Both of them are phenomenal here, even if I didn’t always buy the potential of a relationship between them. Still, that is also by design – Park wants to keep viewers wondering if the attraction is real or the devious plan of a femme fatale.
Despite ultimately respecting the movie more than I enjoyed it, I definitely think it’s worth checking out. Park is one of our greatest living filmmakers, so anything he does is automatically a must-see.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout and some sexual references. Now playing in theaters and available on Peacock.)
The premise: In this “final” installment of the long-running slasher franchise (until the inevitable reboot), the long-suffering Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) four years after the horrific events of Halloween Kills. Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) has disappeared, allowing the women a chance to process their trauma and grief. But when a young man named Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) is accused of killing a kid he was babysitting, bodies begin piling up again – leading Laurie to a final confrontation with the evil force that has plagued her for decades.
The verdict: Any time a by-the-numbers horror series tries something new, I’m curious. So many of these flicks adhere to the same formula it’s refreshing when filmmakers break the mold. Sadly, that doesn’t always mean the movie will be good – which is precisely what happens with Halloween Ends. Where the previous installment Halloween Kills set up one heck of a final confrontation with its shocking cliffhanger, David Gordon Green’s last flick instead skips forward several years and resets the entire storyline.
Rather than a traumatized, survivalist Laurie, the character is attempting to heal by writing her memoirs. She’s also reaching out to other troubled Haddonfield residents in an attempt to ensure they don’t make the same mistakes she did. On the surface, that’s an intriguing choice – especially because Curtis is phenomenal as always. But it also means she basically ignores her daughter’s murder at the hands of a seemingly unkillable homicidal maniac.
Furthermore, a story designed to highlight the final confrontation between two iconic characters ends up sidelining both of them to focus on someone we’ve never met. If this were an original horror movie, Corey would be a fascinating protagonist. And the film’s issues are no fault of Campbell, who delivers a solid performance.
However, the result feels like a massive bait-and-switch meant to delay an epic showdown that viewers have been expecting for three movies. Yes, we ultimately get it, and the last few minutes are terrific because of it. But if arriving there ends up making previously interesting characters like Allyson look dumb (poor Matichak), was the journey worth it? Opinions vary based on the reactions I’ve seen, but for me it was a wasted trip.
Grade: D+
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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